This invention relates to musical drinks vessels, including drinking vessels suitable for use as a trainer cup or the like.
Trainer cups are known for use by young children to bridge the gap between use of a baby""s feeding bottle and use of a normal cup or glass. Typically, trainer cups comprise a cup or mug provided with a lid having a mouthpiece associated therewith, usually in the form of a spout.
Trainer cups are often the child""s first step in learning to feed itself after a baby""s feeding bottle, however, many children find it difficult to progress from a feeding bottle to a trainer cup, owing to the comfort that is provided by a baby""s feeding bottle.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide something on the trainer cup, which will provide comfort as well as something which will help the child take to the cup.
Musical baby feeding bottles are known for providing comfort to babies whilst feeding. Typically, such known musical baby bottles comprise a container for holding liquid and an electrically or mechanically operated music generating device. It is important to wash and sterilise babies feeding bottles, however, a disadvantage of this is that emersion in water and steam or sterilising fluid can damage the music generating device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,093 discloses a musical baby bottle comprising a container having an electrically operated music generated device sealed in its base. The device is activated by means of a mercury tilt switch, thereby obviating any need to have an external switch which may let in water or moisture.
A disadvantage of mercury tilt switches is that mercury is poisonous and furthermore the music generating device will only remain active as long as the baby is moving, which is not always the case when the baby is feeding. Another disadvantage is that it is not possible to turn the device off, say whilst the bottle is being carried in a bag and thus music can be played at undesirable times, which is both embarrassing and annoying.
We have now devised a musical drinks vessel that alleviates the above mentioned problems.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a musical drinks vessel comprising a hollow body for holding the drink and a sound generating assembly having an electrically operated sound generating device sealingly mounted therein, said device having light sensitive activation means directed through a transparent wall of assembly, the drinks vessel further comprising shutter means on the opposite side of said wall for moving between first and second positions in which the amount of light incident on the activation means is different.
The music generating device is sealingly mounted in the assembly and thus water etc. is unable to come into contact with the device. However, the device can be remotely activated and deactivated by moving the shutter between the first and second position, thereby varying the amount of light incident on the light sensitive activation means.
The shutter can be left in the first or second positions so that the device is permanently activated or deactivated.
Preferably the sound generating device is activated when the amount of light incident on the activation means is above a predetermined level and deactivated when the amount of light is below a predetermined level.
In one embodiment, the assembly is permanently attached to the body of the drinks vessel, thereby alleviating the risk that it may get lost or forgotten.
In this embodiment, the sound generating device and activation means may be sealingly mounted inside a housing which is permanently fitted to the underside of the body of the drinks vessel.
Alternatively, the sound generating device and activation means may be sealingly mounted inside the hollow body of the drinks vessel, preferably adjacent a bottom wall thereof.
Alternatively, the sound generating device and activation means may be sealingly mounted in a recess formed in a bottom wall of the body of the drinks vessel.
In an alternative embodiment, the assembly is detachable from the body of the drinks vessel, so that if desired, it can be removed whilst the body of the drinks vessel is being washed or sterilised.
Preferably the assembly is disposed at the base of the body of the drinks vessel, the activation means being directed through a transparent wall which faces downwardly when the drinks vessel is stood in an upright position.
Thus, the device can also be activated and deactivated when the drinks vessel is picked up and set down.
In one embodiment, the shutter means is detachable from the assembly, the shutter means comprising means for engaging the assembly. The shutter means may comprise a cap which engages with the assembly, say by means of a push or screw fitting.
In an alternative embodiment, the shutter means is slidably or rotatably mounted to the assembly.
Preferably, the drinks vessel comprises a mug or cup. Preferably, the mug or cup comprises at least one handle.
Preferably, the mug or cup comprises a lid having a mouthpiece associated therewith, preferably in the form of a spout.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through consideration of the following detailed description.